Support stand



Sept. 1, 1964 J. K. B. WHITE 3,146,892

SUPPORT STAND Filed July 6, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Attorney 8 J. K. B. WHITE SUPPORT STAND Sept. 1, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6, 1962 Inventor JOHN KENNETH BERNARD WHITE eyS United States Patent 3,146,892 SUPPORT STAND John Kenneth Bernard White, Welwyn Garden City, Eng- This invention relates to clothes-horses or gown-display stands and has for its object to provide an improved form of such articles that is easily collapsible into a compact configuration and is capable of being easily and quickly erected to provide an elevated rail for the support of clothes or gowns.

Although the invention is applicable to general purposes, it is particularly useful in shops for display purposes.

According to the present invention, a clothes-horse or gown-display rail comprises a base having a pair of spaced lugs projecting upwardly perpendicularly to the general plane of the base, a pair of rail-supporting legs pivoted each to one of the lugs about axes that are parallel with one another and with the general plane of the base, and a top rail having detachable spigot and socket connection with the free ends of the rail-supporting legs. In normal use, for supporting clothes or displaying gowns, the rail-supporting legs are adjusted about their pivotal axes to project upwards, perpendicularly to the general plane of the base. The top rail is engaged by the spigot and socket connections with the free ends of the rail-supporting legs. However, for stowage, the top rail may be disengaged from the rail-supporting legs, which latter may be folded down so as to lie substantially parallel with the general plane of the base. When the legs are erected and the top rail is in place, the spigot and socket connections between the top rail and the base maintain the legs parallel with one another and preclude collapse of the structure.

The pivotal axes of the supporting legs are preferably at different distances from the general plane of the base, so that the rail-supporting legs may be folded about their hinge axes one over the other and parallel with one another and with the general plane of the base. Preferably, the lugs referred to project upwardly from the general plane of the base substantially beyond the hinge axes of the rail-supporting legs and their ends have spigots or sockets adapted to mate with the sockets or spigots of the top rail, so that, when the supporting legs are folded, the top rail may be engaged with the lugs for stowage in a compact manner.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, an example thereof will now be described by way of illustration with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective elevation of a clotheshorse or gown display rail in its erected position ready for use;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation, part broken away and part sectioned, of the device of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of a part of FIGURE 2 in the direction of the arrows III-III; and

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation of a part of FIGURE 1 to a larger scale and part sectioned to show detail.

Referring to the drawings, the clothes horse or gown rail 1 (hereinafter called a gown rail) comprises a base 2 consisting of a horizontal bar 3 having at each end disposed perpendicularly to the length thereof a transverse bar 4. Castors 5 are pivotally mounted at opposite ends of each transverse bar 4 so that the base may be wheeled about upon the floor. At the junctions of the bar 3 with the bars 4, upwardly projecting hollow lugs 6 are mounted, for example by being welded to the bars 4 and the bar 3. These hollow lugs 6 are slotted longitudinally as at 7 to form slots 8 which receive in each case the hinge tang 9 of one of a pair of supporting legs 10 and 11. The hinge tangs 9 are each provided with a slot 12 through which passes a hinge pin 13 fixed in the lugs 6 and extending transversely therethrough parallel to the axle bars 4. As can be seen from the drawings the length of the slots 12 and the width of the tangs 9 are such that a knee joint is formed with the result that pivotal movement of the supporting legs 1i) and 11 relatively to the base is only possible through substantially from attitudes in which the legs are substantially parallel with the general plane of the base (as shown in FIGURE 4 and in dotted lines in FIG- URE l) to attitudes in which they are perpendicular to the general plane of the base (as shown in FIG- URES l and 2). The legs 10 and 11 are provided with spigots 20 from which the tangs 9 depend, these spigots fitting into the sockets 19 formed by the tops of the tubular lugs 6 when the legs 10 and 11 are erected, the hinge slots 12 permitting the legs to be lowered until the shoulders 21 rest upon the tops of the lugs 6. The legs 16 and 11 are thus positively held in an erect attitude by engagement of the spigots 26 in the sockets 19.

The hinge pins 13 are unequally distanced from the general plane of the base 2 as shown at 14 and 15, so that when the legs 10 and 11 are folded downwardly, they overlie one another against the bar 3 as shown in FIGURE 4.

A top rail 16 is provided which, near each end, has a spigot 17 which mates with or locates in sockets 18 at the free ends of the supporting legs 10 and 11. When the supporting legs 10 and 11 are extended upwardly the rail 16 can thus be engaged with the ends of the legs so that the whole structure is rigidly held with the legs in a substantially vertical position. When the supporting legs are folded against the base, the spigots 17 of the top rail 16 may be engaged with the lugs sockets 19 for stowage purposes.

In order to erect the clothes horse or gown rail shown in the drawings, the top rail 16 is first lifted clear of the base 3 and legs 10 and 11. The leg 11 is then raised, pivoting about the pivot pin 13, and is pulled outwards so that the end of the slot 12 nearest the end of the tang 9 bears against the pin 12. This permits the shoulder 21 to clear the end of the lug 6. When the leg is upright, it is released and permitted to drop so that the spigot 20 enters the socket 19. The leg is thus locked in anupright attitude. The leg 10 is similarly treated. Finally the top rail 16 is applied by engaging its spigots 17 with the sockets 18 of the legs 10 and 11. The engagement of the spigots 17 with the sockets 18 locks the structure with the legs 10 and 11 upright and perpendicular to the rail 16 and the general plane of the base even if the two legs 10 and 11 should be so lifted as to disengage the spigots 21) from the sockets 19.

It is to be understood that the top rail may have sockets at or near each end instead of spigots and the supporting legs may have spigots at their upper ends to locate in the sockets in the rail. In this case, the upper ends of the lugs would be provided with projections to locate in the sockets in the rail when the assembly is in the collapsed position.

What I claim is:

A support stand comprising a base, a pair of lugs spaced apart along and projecting upwardly from said base, each said lug having a hollow terminal portion, and proximate walls of said hollow terminal portions of said two lugs having slots therein extending lengthwise of said lugs and facing one another, hinge pins ex- 3 tending transversely of and within said hollow terminal portions of said lugs spaced inwardly of and remote from the ends thereof with their axes parallel with one another, with the general plane of the base and perpendicular to the planes of said slots, a pair of legs, each said leg having a spigot at one end and a tang projecting longitudinally of and from said spigot, said spigots being adapted to slidably and detachably extend within said hollow terminal portions of said lugs for supporting said legs upright and with said tangs projecting Within said hollow terminal portions, said tangs having longitudinal slots therein embracing respectively said hinge pins, said longitudinal slots being of a length corresponding to the length of said spigots for permitting said spigots to be engaged with and disengaged from said 4 hollow terminal portions of said lugs, said tangs being extendable through said lug slots upon the detachment of said leg spigots from said lug hollow terminal portions for the folding of said legs on said base, said legs having sockets at their opposite ends, and a top rail having spaced projecting spigots adapted to detachably and slidably fit into said sockets at the opposite ends of said legs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

